Trophy figure mounting means



April 3, 1962 M. KRAMER ETAL 3,027,670

TRoPHY FIGURE MOUNTING MEANS Filed Feb. 5. 1960 t il!" 3,6Z'i,ti7 Patented Apr. 3, i962 f. Tlf@ 3,027,670 TROPHY FIGURE MOUNTING MEANS Marvin Kramer, Chicago, and Alvin H. Zazove, Skokie,

Ill., assignors to General Classics, Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 6,901 2 Claims. (Cl. 41-10) This invention relates to trophies and more particularly o means for facilitating the mounting of figures on trophy ases.

Trophy bases are usually made either of a number of assembled parts or of a single unitary piece. The multipart bases ordinarily comprise a bottom base which may be made of various materials including marble, onyx, wood, and the like; a column usually made of metal; and a ligure base platform mounted on top of the column. These parts are assembled and held together by means of nuts and bolts. The ligure base platform is ordinarily formed with an opening in the middle and cooperating means is provided for mounting an interchangeable ligure of representative subject and design over the opening on said ligure base platform. For this purpose the figure is formed with a centrally positioned depending screwthreaded bolt adapted to cooperate with an internallythreaded sleeve positioned in said ligure base for mounting the ligure in operational position. The lower part of the sleeve is ordinarily threaded on the upper end of the base assembly bolt so that the various portions of the trophy base and the figure are all joined together.

Heretofore in order to maintain the various parts of the trophy base and the ligure together in tight litting relationship it was necessary to keep the trophy base bolts, the sleeve and the ligure bolts screwed together in tight litting relationship. For this reason it was time-consuming and sometimes rather diliicult to assemble the ligure on the base so that the ligure would be facing in the proper direction. In order to accomplish this, oftentimes considerable manipulation of the various fastening members was required.

Since the figures of the trophies are usually interchangeable the bases and figures are either sold separately or even when assembled by the manufacturer and shipped to the dealer, the dealer is often required to interchange ligures between trophies in order to satisfy the needs of the ultimate consumer. For example, figures may be made to represent various sports, yet all of these figures may be accommodated or used individually in connection with a single trophy base. Thus, for example, a dealer having trophies with bowling figures might be called upon to replace such ligures with golfing ligures or any of the many other types of ligures.

Heretofore, to accomplish the foregoing it was necessary for the dealer or the purchaser to remove the ligure by unscrewing the ligure bolt from the aforementioned sleeve and then threading therein the bolt portion of a suitable pre-selected ligure. Oftentimes the screw threads of these bolts were not identical or the length of the bolts varied so that in order to properly position the ligure it was necessary to disassemble the trophy base and manipulate the base bolt and sleeve until the proper position was achieved. Obviously such operations were time consuming and objectionable for many reasons including the increased opportunities alforded thereby for marring or disfiguring the various parts of the trophies.

It is therefore an important object of rthis invention to provide a trophy having ligure mounting means capable of overcoming all of the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove.

Another object is to afford trophy base mounting means enabling the trophy to be securely, but removably mounted on the trophy base by the mere insertion of the trophy base bolt into a cooperating adapter bushing means, such an operation consuming not more than two or three seconds as compared with at least sixty seconds as heretofore required for the equivalent operation.

A further object is to provide a simple fitting capable of being readily mounted on the end of a standard screwthreaded figure bolt, said fitting in turn having means permitting the assembled litting and figure bolt to be readily inserted into the aforementioned adapter bushing and when so inserted frictionally retaining the bolt with the integrally formed ligure in secure non-.rotatable operational position until such time as it is desired to remove or replace said ligure.

Yet another object is to afford trophy ligure mounting means of the character described which will permit the mounting of ligures by a simple snap action thereby eliminating the heretofore time consuming screw threading operation.

As Ywas previously mentioned, some trophy bases are made of a single unitary piece, often wood, The ligure mounting base portion of such trophies have a central opening and into this opening there was heretofore inserted a screw-threaded sleeve having outwardly projecting teeth or similar members adapted to bite into the wood and thereby secure the sleeves in the openings. The ligure was then mounted by threading the ligure bolt into the screw threaded sleeve in a manner similar to that described in connection with the multi-part trophy base. Obviously, the same disadvantages were inherent in this type of mounting.

It is therefore another important object to provide figure mounting means for trophies which will enable said ligure to be mounted on a single-piece trophy base in a manner which will overcome all of the disadvantages mentioned hereinabove.

A further object is to aord ligure mounting means which will eliminate entirely the previously mentioned sleeve member.

Yet another object is to provide a device comprising the above described ligure bolt fitting which enables said bolt to be inserted with the fitting thereon directly into the trophy base opening and then automatically locks itself in position thereby preventing the inadvertent rotation or removal of said ligure from the trophy base.

Yet a further object is to afford trophy figure mounting means of the character described of simple, inexpensive construction, yet effective, durable and mountable in hdden non-visible position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrilicing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of our invention, we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, our invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several ligures of the drawings:

FIG. l is a front elevational view of a complete trophy in which is embodied the principles of this invention;

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FIG. 2 is a fragmentary partially exploded elevational sectional view;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing certain details of construction; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the split sleeve or ferrule fitting member.

Referring first to FIG. 1, reference numeral l@ indicates generally a trophy comprising a figure member i2 mounted on a figure base generally designated by reference numeral 14. The figure member 12, as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, may comprise the figure itself l16 which in the present embodiment is shown as a bowling figure, said figure 16 may be mounted on a base cap E3 having a centrally depending screw-threaded bolt 2f).

The trophy base 14 (here illustrated as of the multipart type) in turn comprises a base platform 22, and an elongated vertically positioned metal column 24 with a figure base platform 26 -mounted thereon. The base platform 22 is provided with a central bottom-opening groove 2S with a reduced-diameter top-opening aperture 3fi. Through this aperture may `be positioned an elongated bolt 32 screw threaded at both ends as at 34 and 36. A nut 38 is positioned in the bottom groove 2S thereby assisting in retaining the bolt in position as shown in FIG. 2.

The figure base platform 26 is also formed 'with a central aperture 4' therethrough as shown in FlG. 3 of the drawings. Positioned through said aperture 4f) is an adapter bushing 42 having a lower portion thereof internally threaded as at 44. The opposite end of the bushing 42 is integrally formed with a collar 46 adapted to bear against the top marginal edges of the aperture 4t) thereby maintaining the sleeve in operational position. The internal threads 44 of the bushing are adopted to cooperate with the threads 36 of the bolt 32 to tie together or maintain in assembly the three members of the trophy base; viz, the base platform 22, the column 24 and the figure platform 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, it will be noted that reference numeral 48 refers generally to a novel split sleeve or ferrule fitting which may be readily mounted on the figure bolt 2f). It is this fitting 48 which enables the figure 12 to be mounted on the base 14 by merely inserting the bolt with the fitting thereon into the unthreaded central bore portion 49 of the adapter bushing 42. The operation thereof will be disclosed as the description proceeds.

Turning now to a more detailed description of this very important fitting 48 it will be noted in FIG. 4 of the drawings that the same comprises a cylindrical ferrule 5ft made of heat treated spring steel and having its 'wall split as at 52. The cylinder is tapered so that the size of its top opening 54 is greater than that of its bottom opening 56. Moreover, it will be noted in FIG. 3 of the drawings, that the bottom marginal edge of the cylinder is areuately bent inwardly as at 57. The purpose of this construction will become apparent as the description proceeds.

On opposed sides of the cylinder wall 50, a pair of tongues .such as 58-58 may be struck out so that the outwardly bent top edge 60 of each of said tongues is spaced from the top edge `62 of the fitting 48. An intermediate portion of the tongue 5S is crimped as at 64. lt will be noted that the crimp 64 and the top edge 6i) both protrude outwardly beyond the plane of the tongue 58 for a reason which will be disclosed during the description of the operation of the same.

When it is desired to mount the figure on the pre-assembled trophy base 14, the figure bolt 2i? is inserted into the top opening 54 of the fitting 48 until the bottom edge of said bolt bears against the inturned edges 57 of' the fitting 4d. The size of the bottom opening 56 is somewhat smaller than the size of the bolt 2@ as measured from the outer edges of the screw threads, Therefore, in order to maintain the fitting in operational position it is necessary to rotate the fitting a few turns, thereby threading the fitting onto the bolt 2G as shown in PEG. 3 of the 4l: drawings. It will be noted that the fitting edges 57 cooperate with the screw threads 66 of the bolt Ztl in this operation. It should further be noted that the fitting eX- pands to accommodate the bolt as the same is threaded therein. It should also further be noted that since the entire fitting is tapered with the top opening 54 exceeding in size that of the bolt 20, the fitting is readily positioned over the end of the bolt 20.

After the tting 43 has been threaded onto the bolt 2f), as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the figure member l2 is rotated so that the figure 16 faces in the proper direction and then the assembled fitting and bolt are merely forced `down into the bore 49 of the adapter bushing 42 until the bottom of the figure base cap 1S abuts the top edge of the platform 26. As the bolt 2f? with the fitting.'

43 mounted thereon is lowered down into the bushing the tongues 58 are compressed inwardly as they are moved into abutting relationship with the sides of the bushing. However, the spring action urges them outwardly so that at least the crimp 64 and outwardly turned edge d() of each tongue abuts in frictional relationship against the side of the bore 49. This maintains the figure in tightfitting non-rotatable relationship. In fact, when it is attempted to remove the figure by attempting to pull the bolt 20 out of the bushing 42, the edges 6d of the ltongue 5S tend to bite into the walls of the bore to retain the same in immovable position. Thus when it is desired to remove the figure it is necessary to unbolt the base removing the bolt 32 from the sleeve 42 so that a pen knife may be inserted through the bottom end of the bushing bore 49 to assist in removing the figure.

In the one-piece unitarily formed trophy bases there is no assembly bolt such as 32, but there is a central `aperture 4@ formed through the figure base platform 26. The size of this aperture should be sufficient to readily admit therein the figure bolt 2) with the fitting 48 mounted thereon. The same is merely forced down into the opening in the same manner as described in connection with the multi-part trophy base. Thereafter the tongues 58 of the fitting expand outwardly in the same manner as previously described so that the crimp 64 and the top edges 6@ bear against the sides of the bore 4? to maintain the figure in immovable non-rotatable position in the same manner as previously described. It will thus be noted that in the unitary base the adapter bushing 42 need not be used.

From the foregoing description and drawings it will be apparent that we have provided a simple, inexpensive device atfording means for readily mounting a figure on a trophy base in non-rotatable secure position insuring against inadvertent removal of the same. Notwithstanding the same, the mounting means does not interfere with the intentional removal for replacement of figures as desired. The device enables figures to be mounted or interchanged in a matter of a few seconds as compared with minutes in the more conventional type trophies.

It is believed that our invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A trophy comprising: a multi-part trophy base, a trophy figure member and means for mounting said member on said base, said figure member comprising a figure and a depending screw-threaded bolt, said trop-hy base comprising a base platform, a column and a centrally apertured figure platform, a bolt and nut assembly joining together the parts of said trophy base, at least the upper portion of said last-mentioned bolt being screwthreaded, said means comprising an adaptor bushing being threaded at its lower portion only and positioned through the aperture of said figure platform, the lower portion of said bushing being screwed over the upper portion of said last-mentioned bolt, a fitting screwed onto the threads of said first-mentioned bolt, said tting comprising a split-Wall `ferrule tapering from top to bottom and having -a pair of spring tongues struck from opposed sides of the Wall of said ferrule, each of said tongues having outwardly projecting ends and crimped portions formed in spaced relationship with said ends, said tting cooperating with said bushing to maintain said gure member in substantially secure immovable and non-rotatable relationship on said trophy base.

2. The trophy of claim 1 wherein said crimped portions project in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said `ferrule.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 779,788 Kroder I an. 1Y0, 1905 2,254,802 Gill Sept. 2, 1941 2,295,444 Woodward Sept. 8, 1942 2,650,516 Poupitch Sept. 1, 1953 2,788,188 Smith et al Apr. 9, 1957 2,843,959 Flauder July 22, 1958 2,938,405 West May 31, 1960 

